Where I work out there is usually a girl who swims at around the same time as I usually do.Well, a lot of times she is in the lane next to mine.She is quite a good swimmer.I noticed that my average pace is faster than hers by about 7-8 meters per 50 , but there is one thing that bothers me - kicking sets!Whenever I happen to be doing a kicking set(ok, I have to admit here - I do very little kicking work, which I should probably improve on) and she happens to be kicking, too, she goes FASTER!!!Does that mean that she is just a good kicker or I am missing out on some improvements that I could see if I kicked more?I do a constant 6-beat kick when swimming free and it is not bad, but that girl just made me think.Do you think my times would drop by a considerable amount if I concentrated on hard kicking sets?
Originally posted by Jeff Commings
I'm very much against fins, because once you put them on, you never take them off, thus losing your natural feel of the water.
Do you feel the same way about paddles? They are easy to use as a crutch, too, just like fins. I think both paddles and fins have their benefits, but you really have to concentrate on not becoming over reliant on them.
I'm even worse about paddles.
I'm the ONLY swimmer on my team that swims "naked." That is, without paddles or fins/zoomers. They tend to believe that the paddles and fins are the only way they can keep up, but sadly they don't know that the zoomers don't really help that much, especially if you use them all the time.
Plus, overuse of paddles means shoulder problems.
But oh well. I've learned to let it go. They're adults, after all. At least on the age group team I coach, we never use fins or paddles.
Fins?
I also think that too much fin use makes me lose the feel of the water, I noticed that on my own, but I did like how the use of the fins actually did seem to strengthen my legs a bit more..
Though I have no idea if it strengthened my kick at all, It does feel like after I kick with fins, then take them off to do the next set, I am MUCH more aware of my kick and my legs seem to want to kick more during sets after using fins...
don't know if that made any sense, but could it just be a perception thing, and not really something that's helping my kick?
Originally posted by hooked-on-swimming
My thing about not using kickboards is shoulder problems - do they really lead so much to that, cause I want to swim all my life injury free.
I doubt it. I've never heard about using a kickboard contributing to shoulder problem. The gripe many people have about kickboards is they take your body out of a normal swimming position.
Hey Hooked don't feel bad a lot of guys don't kick worth a darn, one reason is that their ankles don't have the flexibility that most female swimmers have, thus you can't position your foot optimally for the best propulsion. Stiff ankles are great for walking but lousy for swimming. You might try doing some ankle assessment and maybe some gentle (!) stretching. Also try kicking with some small fins which will also help stretch your ankles, and is great cardio conditioning. I do sprint sets of kicking, fast 50's with little rest - its killer but in a good way.
Originally posted by Jeff Commings
I'm even worse about paddles.
I'm the ONLY swimmer on my team that swims "naked." That is, without paddles or fins/zoomers. They tend to believe that the paddles and fins are the only way they can keep up, but sadly they don't know that the zoomers don't really help that much, especially if you use them all the time.
Plus, overuse of paddles means shoulder problems.
But oh well. I've learned to let it go. They're adults, after all. At least on the age group team I coach, we never use fins or paddles.
Jeff,
It's nice to hear a former National Team member say this. I really hate my TOYS as well and think that while they do add variety it is best to swim "naked". Many of my teammates put on fins or paddles to try and make certain intervals. I think that they would be better off going on a slower interval. Some of the guys, though, just can't stand that I go on a faster interval so they'll "cheat" in whatever way possible to keep up.
This sometimes bugs me but as you said we are all adults so nothing can really be done...
My thing about not using kickboards is shoulder problems - do they really lead so much to that, cause I want to swim all my life injury free.Does kicking on your back help as much to your freestyle as kicking with a board on your stomach?
I think people also tend to be too kick board dependent (I am guilty of this myself to a degree). I don't think you should use a kick board for ***, back or fly. I think it's okay for flutter kicking.
Just a thought.
you won't improve by concentrating on kicking
you will improve by doing kicking sets where you strive to beat your best times.
and by getting better at kicking while you are swimming
since you're focused on sprints kicking is essential
if you improve your kick, you will probably swim faster faster
ande
Originally posted by hooked-on-swimming
Where I work out there is usually a girl who swims at around the same time as I usually do.Well, a lot of times she is in the lane next to mine.She is quite a good swimmer.I noticed that my average pace is faster than hers by about 7-8 meters per 50 , but there is one thing that bothers me - kicking sets!Whenever I happen to be doing a kicking set(ok, I have to admit here - I do very little kicking work, which I should probably improve on) and she happens to be kicking, too, she goes FASTER!!!Does that mean that she is just a good kicker or I am missing out on some improvements that I could see if I kicked more?I do a constant 6-beat kick when swimming free and it is not bad, but that girl just made me think. Do you think my times would drop by a considerable amount if I concentrated on hard kicking sets?
Amen Heather!
I think paddles (and fins) have their place, they can help build strength and some even emphasize correct hand entry or what not. But they tend to be over used.
Glad to hear that Jeff swims naked! ;)
